Secret Lives
by ANGSWIN
Summary: Many surprising secrets are revealed when Clint takes the Avengers back to his safe house after their confrontation with Ultron.
1. Clint's Secret

_Written for the 2018 Marvelously Magical Fanfiction Bingo_  
 _Square: O4 / Pairing Prompt: Clint Barton/Hermione Granger_

 **Warning:** This story is not _quite_ as fluffy as my usual fare. It does contain _brief_ mentions of kidnapping, torture, miscarriage, infertility, and character death.

* * *

 **Secret Lives**

 _Clint's Secret (Chapter 1 of 4)_

After the disastrous face-off with Ultron and the Maximoff twins, Clint piloted the quinjet to his personal sanctuary. He knew that he was taking a chance by bringing the others there, but maybe it was finally time that they learned about his biggest secret. If they were lucky, that "secret" might even be able to give them some advice and insight into their impossible situation. Therefore, it was with a mix of both excitement and anxiety that he expertly set the quinjet down near the country farmhouse and gestured for the Avengers to disembark.

" _This_ is your safe house, Barton?" Tony asked skeptically as he surveyed the rustic surroundings. Clint and Natasha exchanged a look before the archer nodded.

"Yes…and it _needs_ to stay that way!" he exclaimed forcefully.

"Understood…take it easy." Tony threw up his hands in surrender as he replied in his usual irreverent fashion. "I won't tell anyone that you have gone over to the _farm_ side." Then he grinned at his own joke while Bruce just groaned at the very poor attempt at a pun.

Thor, however, knew that he could not find the answers to his own questions there, and immediately took his leave with a promise to return later. Natasha and the rest of men then entered the house and Clint immediately crossed over to hearth and started to build a fire within it. The rest of them looked at him curiously, but Natasha just shook her head at him when Tony opened his mouth to speak.

"Just watch!" she said quietly…and for once the man practiced some self-restraint.

Once the fire was crackling, Clint reached up and took a pinch of powder from the container on the mantle and threw it into the flames as he said, "Hermione Granger's office…Ministry of Magic…London, England."

The group with him, with the exception of the woman, gave a collective gasp when he then stuck his head into the flames. "Honey, I'm home!" he shouted cheerfully and they all heard the answering feminine voice, "Clint! I wasn't expecting you. Oh, no! What's wrong? Stand back, I'm coming through."

A moment later, three sets of jaws dropped when a petite and lively-haired woman came spinning out of the fireplace, only to launch herself at Clint and kiss him passionately. She then turned to see the woman standing by his side.

"Nat," the newcomer cried out in delight as she rushed to give the redhead a hug, too. "Now, I know that there is trouble if you are both here at the same time." She turned to finally see the rest of the men standing there with identical dumbfounded looks on their faces. "And I see that you have finally brought the rest of the team, too." The smile then fell from her face and she turned back to Clint and asked him seriously, "That's definitely not good! What are we dealing with? Is it another end-of-the-world scenario?"

"Not yet," he reassured her. "However, we need to lay low for a while, regroup, and come up with a plan to keep it that way."

She nodded her understanding. "I'm between crises right now, so I am available to help, but I want to keep everyone else out of it, if possible – even Harry." She turned to Nat to explain. "He and Ginny just had baby Lily and they are still in that sleepless newborn stage. I did bring the boys back here to the farm with me this past weekend to give their parents a bit of a break, though."

"Aww, that's so sweet," Nat replied. "Do you think that they would let me babysit, too?" At those very uncharacteristic words coming from the former assassin's mouth, the rest of the team stood there in even more shock at the thought that anyone would voluntarily leave their children in the care of the formidable Black Widow. She saw their looks and scowled. "What? Just because I can't have kids doesn't mean that I don't like them." Bruce looked startled at that news as Nat and the new woman shared a look of mutual understanding. Clint put his arm around the latter to give her a comforting hug before he turned back to the group right as Tony's patience and tact ran out – especially since he did not have an abundance of either – even in the best of times.

"What is going on here? Who is this woman and what the hell is up with that fireplace?" the man growled suspiciously.

"Gentlemen, this is my wife, Hermione!" Clint exclaimed proudly. He paused to wait for the outbursts of surprise from the group to abate before he continued. "That's not all though…it gets better. She's a witch!"

At the usual signs of initial disbelief, Hermione sighed and pulled out her wand. She then showed them a few standard spells. A _Wingardium Leviosa_ made the Captain's shield float, an _Accio_ summoned one of Natasha's hidden pistols, and an _Expecto Patronum_ caused a ghost-like otter to swim in happy little circles around her first, and then Bruce, until a _Finite Incantatem_ sent it away again. After that, it did not take the rest of the team long to come around. After all, they had seen far stranger things in their particular line of work.

"The fireplace?" Tony asked eagerly, however. "Robin Hood here said _London_ right before you came spinning out…and I can tell from your accent that you are a Mary Poppins. So is it some kind of magic portal? I've never seen any kind of tech like that…except for the Chitauri invasion…and Thor's form of transportation…well…never mind…but it is still damn impressive!"

After confirming that it was magic and not a form of technology that he could replicate, Hermione smiled broadly. "Didn't you ever wonder why Clint insisted on having a fireplace in his rooms at the Tower?" she asked in an amused tone.

"Well…now that you mention it, I guess that I just thought that he was a bit of a diva." Tony admitted, "but now I can see that it was for conjugal visits!" He laughed and slapped his archer friend on the back. "Good call, Barton. I most definitely approve!"

Hermione wisely ignored the last parts of his statement as she laughed at the rest. "A diva…hmmm…well, he does like his hair gel," she admitted. Then she looked around at the rest of the men in the room – all with perfectly styled hair, as well. "However, he does not seem to be the only one! No need to introduce yourselves, by the way. Clint has talked about all of you so much, that I feel I already know you." She laughed and turned to look at Tony. "The ego gives it away…that and the glowing circle in your chest. You must be Tony Stark."

He nodded his acknowledgement. "Mrs. Barton, I can't believe that Legolas is secretly married…and to a witch!"

"Well, it's actually Granger…Hermione Granger. Clint's not the only one who has to keep our marriage a secret from most the world. Therefore, I still use my maiden name, as well."

"Oh…a progressive witch then," Tony smirked before he turned to wink at Clint. "I like it."

Hermione just laughed again and moved to stand in front of Bruce. "Dr. Banner, it's so nice to meet you, too. Please feel free to relax here and don't worry about letting down your guard. Your alter-ego is also welcome if he chooses to put in an appearance. After all, we have entertained much stranger guests here before - and with magic, I can easily accommodate the Hulk."

"She's not exaggerating either, Bruce," Clint agreed with his wife at the scientist's wide-eyed look of shock and skepticism – especially after what had just happened in the city. "Last full moon, she brought a freaking werewolf home from work with her!"

"Oh, hush you!" his wife replied. "He was a brand new wolf with no pack and nowhere else to spend his first change. Plus, I made his Wolfsbane potion myself, so I knew that he was perfectly harmless."

"He left dog hair all over the couch, Mione! Plus, he borrowed my favorite robe in the morning…and he was _naked!_ That's not harmless!"

"Whatever you say, Dear," she agreed amiably and then winked at their snickering friend, Nat, before she turned to the next man in line who was still gaping at the thought of an actual "werewolf."

"Steve Rogers," she greeted him with a smile…and her soft accent reminded him so much of Peggy – especially since he had recently seen her in his "vision" or "dream" or whatever it was that the Maximoff girl had sent to him. However, his mind focused back on Clint's pretty wife when she continued to speak. "My grandfather often spoke of meeting you in Germany during the War when he was stationed there as part of the RAF. I even have one of your original trading cards. If you ever feel homesick for your original time, I have a stack of his records in the attic and some of his books in the library. You are welcome to them anytime. I'm sorry that I can't do more to help, but time travel is not part of my magical repertoire anymore, unfortunately."

"Anymore?" she heard both Tony and Bruce murmur faintly and saw them exchange glances in the background. However, she chose to ignore their curiosity in favor of welcoming her unexpected…and hungry…guests to the Barton farm with a late lunch.


	2. Questions & Answers

Over a quickly and magically prepared meal, the team's curiosity about Clint's wife continued. "How did you two even meet?" Bruce asked.

"Budapest!" Hermione and Clint said at the same time, but Hermione was the one who explained further.

"As the Deputy Minister at the time, I was there for diplomatic purposes at the same time that Clint and Nat were apparently there on a mission. Of course, the usual chaos that always seems to surround all of us occurred and we all ended up being pinned down together under gunfire. After a bit of a…kerfuffle… I ended up saving Nat and later she returned the favor and saved me. Then we both had to go rescue Clint when he bit off more than he could chew...as usual.

After that…well…the rest is history. In between bouts of saving our worlds, we grew closer and Clint and I eventually got married. Nick helped us to set up this safe house in order to try and keep our life here together completely separate from _both_ of our outside worlds. Somehow, we have managed to make it all work, though, despite our very different lives. Love is a strange thing, isn't it?" She gave Nat a quick significant glance with an almost imperceptible nod towards the doctor before turning back to her husband who just grinned cheerfully at her.

"Nick?" Steve suddenly asked as he made the connection. "Wait a minute…are you talking about Director Fury?"

"Oh yes!" Hermione smiled. "He is an old friend of Kingsley, the former Minister of Magic who officiated at the simple ceremony that we had here at the farm in order to keep it quiet. Therefore, Nick and Nat were able to stand up with Clint that day while my best friends, Harry and Ron…and their wives…came over from London."

"Why all of the secrecy, though? If you don't mind me asking?" Bruce politely inquired. Hermione could see why Nat liked him. He had intelligence and such lovely manners. In fact, he could probably give Clint a few lessons.

"Yeah!" Tony, however, was less polite with his questions. "Since you are married to old Eagle Eyes here, why aren't you one of us? We have been…and _still_ are…in plenty of tight places where magic could have helped us out!"

"She has her own problems to deal with, Tony." Nat came to the defense of her friend.

"What could be a bigger problem than Loki, the Chitauri, the whole mess with SHIELD and Hydra…and now Ultron?" Tony countered aggressively.

"Ultron? Do I even want to know?" asked Hermione as she glanced at her husband before she shook her head and looked back at the man with all of the questions. "How about the kind of problems that you could not possibly handle with just your fancy suit, Mr. Stark? Problems like dark evil wizards who want to cause the wholesale slaughter of nonmagical people? What about the containment of the kind of deadly monsters that you have only read about in mythology books…or seen in your nightmares? What about keeping the magical secret of 1% of the world's entire population in order to prevent widespread fear and panic…and possibly war?" Hermione answered him calmly and politely. She was used to dealing diplomatically with hotheads. _Merlin, it is practically my job description!_ she thought.

"So you have handled all of this personally, have you?" Tony continued in a patronizing tone, as if he did not understand or care about the danger of insulting a witch. Nat just rolled her eyes in exasperation at the man – especially when he continued to try and fit his whole foot into his mouth with every word he spoke. "That's why you have been too busy to help your own husband."

"That's enough, Tony." Clint stepped in to defend his wife. "Of course, she has handled all of that personally…she _is_ the Minister of Magic in Great Britain, you know. The British Prime Minister himself does what she tells him to do."

That finally shut Tony up…for a moment. "You're the Prime Minister _of Magic?"_ he asked in a quieter voice this time as he realized that she had said that she was the Deputy Minister _at the time_ and that Fury knew the _former_ Minister. "You're in charge of…like…all the witches and what…wizards?…in Great Britain?" He quickly did some quick math in his head…after all, she had said that 1% of the population were magical. The results were staggering.

Both Clint and Nat nodded their heads to verify his statement. However, Hermione demurred…as was her nature. "I would not say that I was in charge…per se," she answered. "However, I do like to think that I guide the magical people of Great Britain…and Ireland…since we don't have that religious divide problem in the magical world that the Muggles have…as well as influence the rest of the world's wizarding population…in a way that brings us, as a united front, even further away from the issues that brought about the Wizarding Wars in the first place."

"Wizarding _Wars?"_ Steve asked curiously. He was the super soldier, after all.

"That's a story for another time," Hermione answered wearily. "But I am no stranger to combat, Tony. I have the scars, both mental and physical, to prove it. Therefore, don't you dare suggest that I don't care about my husband…or the rest of the world! I certainly have sacrificed enough for it to prove otherwise. Whenever he needs me, I will be there in a heartbeat to help him…if I possibly can. However, it is _your_ job to keep the world safe from physical threats and it is _mine_ to keep it safe from magical ones.

"Well, what about Loki, then?" Tony was not quite through with arguing yet. "He used mind control magic on your husband! Are you telling me that the Minister of Magic herself could not handle that?"

"Shut the hell up, Tony!" Clint said threateningly and the man looked back at his usually mild-mannered friend with surprise. When he saw the man's clenched fists, he finally realized that he might have come off too strong towards the witch…and maybe he should not have brought up such a sensitive subject around his fellow Avenger, either. However, in his defense, he really did want to know the answer.

"No. It's okay, Clint," Hemione put a calming hand on her husband's shoulder, but her voice was even more weary now with no trace of the animation that it had previously held. "He just doesn't understand...and it does sound a bit strange when he puts it like that."

"May I?" Nat asked in a gentle voice to Hermione, even while she shot daggers with her eyes at Tony. It was no secret to anyone in that room that she was considering using real weapons to do the same thing. Therefore, Tony paled considerably as Hermione nodded and stood up to leave the room.

"Clint, Dear, will you help me to get the upstairs bedrooms ready for our guests? I am sure that everyone is tired and would like to get cleaned up and rest. I wasn't expecting company and none of those rooms have been used in a while. In fact, I have been staying in the London flat for the past couple of weeks and even James and Albus made and slept in a pillow fort in the lounge over the weekend instead of staying in their usual room."

Clint stood up hurriedly, even though he knew that his wife could ready those rooms with just a wave of her wand. That meant that she just really did not want to be in the room while Nat told the story…and he could not blame her. In fact, he did not want to hear it either. Therefore, he just kept the conversation light while they left the table and made their way upstairs. "I bet Auntie Mione let them have all kinds of snacks, too, didn't she?"

"Of course, I did. James _is_ my godson and I just adore little Albus…and you know that you do, too! If you had been here, I bet that you would have been right in that fort snacking with them!" Clint could not deny the truth of that. He did love those boys and only regretted that he and Hermione could not have their own – even though they did plan to adopt as soon as her term for Minister was over and he retired from the Avengers. Then they were going to live their own lives for once…and let others take care of the world, _both_ sides of it, for a change. He smiled at the happy thought, but he still made the point of stopping and holding his wife close as soon as they were out of eyesight of the others. "I'm alright," she said quietly and he watched with admiration as she gathered her inner strength and calmed herself down. "I was just caught off-guard by the…memories." Then she kissed him sweetly before she pulled out her wand and changed the subject. "Now, talk to me while I freshen up these rooms a bit…and I need to make sure that I put Nat next to Dr. Banner. How long has _that_ been going on?"

"What? Nat and _Banner?"_ Clint asked incredulously.

Hermione sighed at her clueless husband. "Never mind! I'll just explain when you are older…Hawkeye, my foot!" she said with a little giggle and Clint was happy that he could make his wife smile…even if it was at his own expense. The smile faded, though, at her next request. "Now, why don't you tell me what is really going on out there that is bad enough to send even the Avengers into hiding?" He just nodded solemnly, however, as he proceeded to do tell her all about the situation with Ultron and the Maximoff twins. He knew that his strong wife could handle the information. She could handle anything…simply because she had always refused to give into that which threatened to break her. It was just one of the many reasons that he loved her so much.


	3. Painful Revelations

Meanwhile, Nat spoke to the rest of the assembled Avengers. "Hermione told me most of this herself, but Clint, and her best friend Harry, told me the rest. Now that you know about her, you need to know her story. However, _none_ of this goes any farther than this room. Is that understood?" Nat just glared at the group…especially Tony…until she received their reassurances before she continued.

"Hermione was born a witch, but her parents weren't magical. In fact, they were dentists. Therefore, when she went away to her magical school, she had no way of knowing that people like her were not thought of highly by many of the wizards and witches who did have long lines of magic in the families. She was bullied all through school about it, and then by the time she was a teenager, she and the other members of the "Light" side were actually fighting a magical war against an army of those who felt that way…the ones who wanted to wipe her and others like her, as well as anybody who did not have magic at all, _completely_ out of existence. In fact, she missed her last year of school and spent a year on the run with Harry, as they tried to locate and destroy dark magical objects that kept the leader of the Dark faction alive. During this time, she was captured and severely tortured. She has scars all over her body because of it, including a slur about her blood status carved into her arm."

Here she paused and reached over to stroke Bruce's hand because his eyes had turned an alarming shade of green at the thought of what had happened to their charming hostess, the one who had even welcomed the _Hulk_ into her home, and who was also the wife of one of their best friends. Nat was pleased to see that Tony looked horrified, as well. That meant that he was beginning to understand. Therefore, when Bruce's eyes returned to their normal shade of brown, she continued the story with a warning. "It gets worse."

"Eventually, Hermione's side won the final battle, but a lot of lives were lost in the process – including her parents. That's a story within itself, actually. However, she and her friends were eventually able to move on. She finished school and started to work at the Ministry of Magic where she continued do so much good working towards fair rights for all sentient beings that she was elected the Minister of Magic when Shacklebolt, Fury's friend, retired. She and Clint had already met and were married by this time, but they kept it a secret from her world as well, except for a few close friends, so that he could not be used as a weapon against her. She knew that she still had enemies out there…and they had been very vocal during the election process. Even though Clint is physically strong, she knew that he could not protect himself against those who would use magic on _him_ in order to punish _her_. That's why Loki's actions were so ironic…Hermione was completely unknown to him."

"Why didn't she stop Loki herself, then – especially after he had captured and used his mind voodoo on her husband…and when he was fighting us…and fighting you, her friend?" Tony asked again, even though everyone turned to glare at him. "What?" he asked. "You know that you want to know, too."

Nat just shook her head disgustedly. "She could not stop Loki because she did not know it had happened until afterwards. She had been Minister for about a year when she was kidnapped by her enemies and tortured again – by someone who held a personal grudge against her…but mainly just for being a Muggleborn witch who had been a good best friend to the man who had ultimately stopped the bad guy and was now the Head Auror…um…police chief for the magical world. Plus, she now had the gall to hold a high position in magical society. At any rate, she finally managed to fight her way out of the situation after she acquired one of her captor's wands. She captured three of the four men herself, but the fourth one, the leader, got away. In fact, they still haven't caught him and that was a couple of years ago…even after two extensive hunts: the official one conducted by Harry and his Aurors...and the secret one that Fury sanctioned."

Nat paused to sigh. "The really sad part about it, though, was that neither she nor Clint had known that she was pregnant at the time. They did not find out until later, when she was at the hospital dealing with other complications from the torture curses that had been used on her, that not only had she been pregnant, but also that she had lost the baby, and that her body was now too damaged from the experience (as well as her previous torture) to carry another one. In fact, Clint did not even find out that she was in the hospital, at all, until we left New York right after the Chitauri invasion. Once he had found out what happened, though, he wanted to quit SHIELD and the Avengers immediately and stay with her, but she would not hear of it. She insisted on going back to work after her body had healed…and that he needed to do so, as well…or else the ones that took away their baby would have gotten exactly what they wanted…and won." Nat stopped speaking and then turned to glare at Tony. "Do you understand now?"

For once Tony was speechless, and could only nod his head, as the guilt for his inconsiderate and poorly thought out words began to gnaw at him. Nat nodded. "Find a way to make it right, then, because you just reminded them _both_ that even though they are two of the most powerful people on this planet, they could not manage to protect themselves, each other, or their unborn child…and you did it right before we are about to face another battle where who-knows-what is going to happen." All of the faces around the table were grim as they realized how true that last statement was and how little they had known about the life of their teammate. They resolved to change that last part immediately, though.

"We can start with the chores," Steve suggested. "After all, this is a farm…and there is plenty to do – especially since neither one of them are here much." They all agreed and when Hermione and Clint finally made their way back downstairs, they found the place spotless. Nat and Bruce had cleaned it up - while having a very intense conversation themselves, apparently. Not only that, but Steve was out chopping wood, and Tony was in the barn working on the old tractor. Hermione smiled at her husband when she realized what his friends were trying to do. That smile turned into a wide grin, however when Nick Fury himself walked in the door after having a discussion of his own with Tony in the garage.

"Granger…what were you told about taking in strays?" the imposing man said as Hermione launched herself into his arms for a hug…much to the shock of the rest of the group who had rejoined them as soon as they realized who the new arrival was.

"Well, this one bloke who stayed with us here on the farm for a while after his _death_ told me to do it only if I can determine that they will be valuable allies," she answered cheekily, "and _they_ most definitely are!"

"Good girl," he answered as he kissed her affectionately on the forehead…before turning back to the rest of the group, completely unaffected by their open-mouthed stares of those who did not yet realize that he now looked upon the little witch like the daughter he never had. "Now…it is time to _plan!"_

Throughout the rest of the evening that is what they did. However, they also managed to relax and have a bit of fun in the process, too – especially since none of them were in _immediate_ danger for once. Therefore, they played darts and joked around while they talked strategy. They also all pitched in to cook dinner, and to clean up afterwards, as well. The camaraderie helped them to remember exactly what they were fighting for.

To everyone's surprise, Tony even volunteered to wash the dishes, _if_ Hermione would dry them for him. Realizing that he wanted to talk, she agreed and shooed the others out of the kitchen. As she rolled up her sleeves, however, Tony caught a glimpse of the carving on her arm, and his guilt assaulted him again.

"Look, Glinda," he said and Hermione just rolled her eyes at the classic movie witch reference. Tony started to wash the mountain of dishes that the hungry Avengers had left behind. "Damn, how much did we eat? It's a good thing that Thor wasn't here, too. That man eats like he is feasting at Valhalla!" he muttered before he turned his attention back to her. "Anyways...I just want you to know that I am sorry about…before. However, I am sure that Barton and Romanoff have told you that my brain and my mouth don't always run at the same speed…and that I don't always play nicely with others. I apologize for letting that happen with you, though. You deserved better than that – especially after you had taken us in and fed us – just because we were with your husband."

Hermione regarded the plates that she was hand drying at the moment, even though she could have easily used magic to do it instead. She wondered if the man next to her knew that…but decided not to mention it. She thought about everything that Clint had told her about him…especially about carrying that nuclear weapon through the portal during the alien invasion - without any hope of return. She recognized that act of reckless bravery...as well as the colors of his suit...proved that he had the soul of a true Gryffindor. Just like her best friends, though...as well as most of the other men from that House…he also had a big mouth that often said things that it should not. That thought made her smile as she made her decision.

"It was not _just_ because you were with Clint, you know," she replied as she turned to face him. "I wasn't lying when I told Nick that you would make good allies…and friends. You are all good people in your own right...even if you don't always show it." She paused for a moment and met his eyes in order to allow him to see the forgiveness in her own before she changed the subject.

"Now…tell me a story about my husband," she said, and a devious sparkle suddenly appeared in her eyes. "Something embarrassing that he wouldn't want me to know, and that his best friend would not think to tell me." Tony recognized the tactic with relief. She was not going to make him discuss his feelings. He appreciated that, so he told her about every crazy thing Barton had done since he had met the man.

Ten minutes later, Clint came in to check on them – mainly to make sure that Hermione had not hexed Tony to within an inch of his life – and found his wife laughing so hard at something that Stark had said that she was actually holding her sides to keep them from hurting so much! Even though he had a suspicion that they were talking about him, he decided to leave well enough alone and slowly backed out of the kitchen before either of them saw him.

They soon rejoined the others, however, and Fury politely refused her offer to spend the night. Instead he took off to get to work on his part of the plan, after gaining Stark's permission to _borrow_ Maria Hill. The rest of the Avengers soon went to bed, knowing that they had to face Ultron on the morrow.

For his part, though, as soon as Clint got his wife alone again, he proceeded to show her just how much he loved her by lavishing her body with attention – especially since he did not know when…or even _if_ …he would get the chance again. Hermione had also decided to join them on their mission and Clint was not sure how he felt about that. He knew that her skills would come in handy – especially against the Maximoff twins, but he also wanted to keep her out of harm's way as much as possible. He did not know how to say exactly what he felt, though, so he showed her instead. Hermione understood, however, because she felt the exact same way about him!

* * *

However, things did not go to plan the next morning. After a quick breakfast, which Hermione insisted they eat because who knew when any of them would get the chance again, the previously cold fireplace suddenly burst into green flames and a man with messy black hair and glasses stepped out.

"Harry!" Clint called out happily to his wife's best friend while the others stared. "To what do we owe this early morning visit?"

Harry returned the greeting with a smile. "Well...it's actually afternoon in London, Clint. Time difference, remember? At any rate, I guessed that you were the reason that Mione darted out of the office so quickly yesterday. I didn't know that you had more company, though. Hello, Nat!" Harry even blushed a little when she waved back. Even though he was happily married to Ginny, Natasha was…Natasha…and Merlin knew that he had a thing for sexy redheads! He then noticed the other men sitting around the table and his blush faded immediately as his hand went to his wand and his mind did some quick calculations about how quickly he could perform that many _Obliviates_ before they started to fight back.

"No need to panic, Harry," Hermione entered the room and instantly recognized the look on her friend's face. "No memory spells are needed. These are Clint's teammates, the Avengers." Harry's look of relief was intense for just a moment until he suddenly remembered the reason for his early visit. That wiped all thought of the visitors out of his mind as he crossed over to her and took her hands in his own.

"Mione," he said urgently. "We have finally caught the bastard. We've got him. We've got Malfoy!"

"What?" Clint rushed over to wrap his wife in a comforting embrace when the first sign of shock crossed her face at the name of the man who was not only her childhood bully, but also her kidnapper.

"Yes!" exclaimed Harry. "They are convening an emergency session of the Wizengamot as we speak. They will begin as soon as the Minister of Magic arrives. It is especially important since she is also..." he paused.

"The victim," Hermione finished for him with a blank face.

"I'm going, too!" Clint insisted. His face now a mask of fury at the thought of confronting the man who had tortured his wife and killed his child…in order to strangle him with his bare hands. However, the look on his wife's face soon cleared his mind. He could see her pulling herself and her emotions together...and he knew that he had to do the same.

"No!" she said emphatically. "You know that you can't, Love. For all they know, you are just an ordinary Muggle, Clint. They can't know our secret...not while I am still in charge. If anyone comes after _you_ , too…then _all_ of this will have been in vain. Don't you understand?"

"I can't leave you to face this alone." Clint whispered, the lump in his throat growing larger with his repressed emotions.

"She won't be alone." Harry insisted. "It will be a closed session to eliminate the media circus. However, I will be there as the Head of the DMLE. Kingsley will be there as Chief Warlock. Ginny and the rest of the Weasleys will represent Mione's family. We love her, too, Clint, and I promise that we will take care of her. I will personally kill that piece of shite if he so much as looks sideways at her!" Harry clapped the other man on the shoulder comfortingly and Hermione nodded slowly.

" _They_ need you," she said as she pointed towards the group that still fiercely gripped their coffee mugs and tea cups in complete surprise at the news that the wizard had brought with him. "Go. Follow the plan. The entire world is a little more important than just me today."

"The world will _never_ be more important than you," Clint declared as he kissed her fiercely.

* * *

In the end, however, Clint agreed to go with the Avengers - even though it killed him inside to leave his wife to deal with the situation without him. He did make her a promise, though. "The world still needs to be saved today, but after this, I am finished with full-time Avenging! I will be here…with you…where I am needed…whenever I am needed." Hermione could only nod while she prayed to any and every deity that would listen to bring him safely home as she dragged him away for a quick private goodbye…where he managed to make her laugh when he promised her that he would finally finish reflooring the sun room when he returned.

She then said her farewells to the rest of the team and made them each promise to watch out for her husband...and each other. However, she also had a special message for Dr. Banner and the Hulk. "Take care of Nat," she whispered as she gave him a hug. "She is not as tough as she seems." Bruce looked startled for just a moment, as his eyes flashed green, but then he nodded thoughtfully.

It was then the redhead's turn, and she just held her friend close as she made the reassurances that she knew Hermione desperately needed to hear. Afterwards, Hermione and Harry stepped into the Floo together and whirled out of sight. After they had disappeared, Clint turned towards his teammates and fiercely demanded that they head out and take care of what needed to be done so that he could get back to his wife.


	4. The Battle, The Trial, & The End

The Avengers team eventually joined back up with Thor and met the newly-created Vision who thoroughly surprised the Asgardian, as well as everyone else, when he proved that he was worthy by being able to lift and use Mjolnir. In the process, the team also realized that the Maximoff twins were not evil enemies...just really misguided teenagers. Therefore, they all joined forces and the battle against Ultron took them to Sokovia. It was there that somehow, through a series of improbable events, Clint found himself alone with Wanda. However, since she was no longer attempting to fight against him, he could finally see that she was just a scared young girl. In fact, he realized for the first time that she was probably about the same age that his wife had been when she was captured and tortured before she fought in the Battle of Hogwarts.

His heart went out to the Maximoff girl at that thought, but it did not change the fact that he needed to go back out into the city and fight, as well. He needed all of it to be over so he could get back to Hermione. Therefore, he summoned up the best motivational "None of this makes sense" speech that he could give at the moment…and he was grateful that it seemed to work for her, anyway. He could not help but to think that Hermione would be proud of him…and of the young enhanced girl, as well. In fact, when all of this was over…if they all made it…he had a feeling that Hermione would see the same parallels that he had…and take the young woman under her wing - and probably her brother, too. Clint sighed at the thought of the cocky Pietro in his home; but he also knew that the twins could have no better mentor than his wife. Therefore, maybe that was exactly what they all needed…and he could only hope that they had a chance to find out.

* * *

He soon had actual confirmation of his wife's feelings, however, when Fury showed up. Not only did the former SHIELD Director surprise them all with the acquisition of a Helicarrier, but when the transport pods touched down to load the evacuees, the Avengers soon realized that they were already full of people. They were not just any people, either. Clint immediately recognized the abundance of redheads in the group…and the lively-haired woman who led them out. Hermione and her magical friends had arrived to help!

"H…How?" Clint stammered as his wife suddenly found him and rushed into his arms to kiss him passionately. However, before she could answer, they were suddenly joined by a group of curious witches.

"Oh, Merlin! Hermione, he is _gorgeous!_ No wonder you kept him a secret…just look at those _arms!"_ said a witch of obvious Indian descent. Hermione just grinned and pulled him closer.

"Thanks, Padma. The rest of him is pretty great, too - so I think I'll keep him!" she answered proudly.

"Padma? Your assistant? She knows about me now?" a confused Clint asked as the group of witches that surrounded them giggled despite the serious situation.

"I'll explain later," his wife replied as she kissed him again. "However, I left Percy in charge back at the Ministry. If we don't hurry, he will have all of the paper clips and sticky notes organized by size and color by the time we get back."

"Oooh, I am going to tell Deputy Minister Weasley that you said that," Padma said laughingly, since they all knew how exacting Percy could be.

"Hush it, you," the Minister of Magic exclaimed as she continued to smile and hold her husband close. "Or I will make you _his_ assistant! Right now, though, we have bigger things to worry about. We have a planet to save!"

With those sobering words, they focused on the task at hand. Clint and Hermione were separated again since the majority of the magical contingency found themselves focused on guarding the core that kept the city in the air by using every blasting spell they knew. Therefore, along with the unique styles of Iron Man and Wanda Maximoff, their _Confringo, Reducto,_ and _Bombardo_ spells effectively destroyed the drones. Meanwhile, the non-powered Avengers and Pietro found that they could focus on the evacuation of the Sokovian people while Vision, Thor, and the Hulk fought off the rest of the drones that were left in the city.

After a long hard fight, the Avengers and their magical friends were victorious in the end. However, it came with a price. Even though all of the witches and wizards were accounted for, Bruce and the Hulk were missing in action…and young Pietro Maximoff had lost his life while shielding Clint and the boy whom he had rescued.

As soon as she found out what had happened at the other side of the battle, Hermione came to the emotional aid of the enhanced girl whose brother had died to save her husband. She also enlisted the help of the only other person she knew who understood what it was like to lose a twin: George Weasley. Ginny also insisted on helping - especially since the girl was about the same age that she had been when she lost Fred. Plus, with a newborn at home, her mothering instincts were at full force...and she was more than willing to lavish some of it on Wanda. Meanwhile, after the dust had settled, the majority of the magical contingency apparated or portkeyed back home to England. Before they left, however, Clint was surprised and gratified by the number of them who came to speak with him. They simply wanted to introduce themselves and say hello, to welcome him to the wizarding world, to praise his wife, and/or to thank him for protecting the world as an Avenger. Hermione watched all of this proudly and knew that she no longer had to worry about Clint being known to the magical world. After most of the well-wishers had left, the extended Weasley family (with the exception of Arthur and Molly who had stayed behind at the Burrow with all of the grandchildren) went to visit Charlie in nearby Romania while George elected to return to the Barton farm with Harry and Ginny – especially since the young bereaved Wanda was going to be there, as well. He knew first-hand that the devastated girl was going to need all the support that she could get.

Therefore, those who were left with magic side-apparated with the Avengers straight back to the farm while Fury and his people took care of the rest of the evacuation. Once they arrived back at their sanctuary, Hermione and Clint immediately installed Wanda, who had clung to Clint in her grief all the way back, into one of the comfortable guest rooms upstairs. Ginny and George stayed with her…and to their surprise, Vision insisted on remaining with the girl, as well. Hermione looked at Clint for guidance with that one – especially since she had only heard bits of information about how he had been created by Ultron. Clint just shrugged his acquiescence, however, when Wanda insisted that she wanted him to stay, as well.

He then went and checked in with Nat to make sure that she was alright – especially since his wife had opened his eyes as to how she really felt about Bruce. However, Natasha had pulled up her _Black Widow_ persona and insisted that she was fine. He knew that his best friend was not telling him the whole truth, but he also knew that she was tough and resilient. Therefore, he temporarily left her with the others while he pulled his wife into their own room. He felt that he had waited long enough to hear her story.

* * *

"What happened at the trial? How did you end up in Sokovia?" he asked, in between his wife's loving, but desperate, kisses. After all, she knew that she would have lost him if it had not been for Pietro's sacrifice. However, after she was finally reassured that he was still in one piece and not full of bullet-holes, she finally relaxed enough to pull him down on the bed with her to tell him the sequence of events that led to his being outed as her husband to the rest of the wizarding world.

"As you know, the Wizengamot does not work like the American justice system…Thank Merlin! It could have been dragged out for years, otherwise. At any rate, the trial was basically over before it began. Malfoy knew that he did not stand a chance for getting out of what he did to the actual Minister of Magic – especially since she was not just any anonymous _Mudblood_ anymore." Hermione spoke of herself and the slur without emotion, just a sense of extreme weariness from the abundance of emotional and physical stress that she had recently experienced. "Therefore, he did not even say anything or show any emotion while the list of offenses was read. It wasn't until my medical report was brought up, and the loss of pregnancy was mentioned…" here she had to pause to mentally shore up her ragged emotions while her husband held her closely. After just a moment, however, she was able to pat his cheek affectionately to show that she was okay before she continued. "Well, it was then that _the shite hit the fan_ …as you like to say."

"Most people were understandably shocked…until it became obvious that others like Harry, Kingsley, and the Weasleys already knew. Then, Malfoy started laughing and making loud accusations that Harry was the father. Even though that would not have been the worst sexual scandal to ever hit the wizarding world, I just could not allow people to believe that. It would not have been fair to us…or Harry and Ginny…nor would I allow the death of our baby to be used as the punchline for a joke. Therefore, I am afraid that I just snapped…and I outed your existence. I announced to everyone that I did not have time for such nonsense and lies because my husband, Hawkeye the Avenger, was out risking his life to save the world again - just like he and the rest of the team had in NY…and that he needed my help."

"That wiped the smirk right off of Malfoy's face…especially when Kingsley and Harry, two of the most respected men in the wizarding world, confirmed the truth of it all. I've told you before that even though the wizarding world tends to be isolated, everyone still knows about the Avengers and the Battle against the Chitauri. You guys have many fans in the magical world. Therefore, despite the shock that the news caused, it was obvious that many of them were quite impressed, as well. At any rate, there were no laws against me having a secret marriage…After all, I made sure of that before I went into office!"

"Therefore, the attention turned back to the trial. It ended rather quickly after that and Malfoy was hauled off to Azkaban. I immediately took my leave and went to my office to contact Nick, who told me about what was going down in Sokovia. Before I could leave the building, however, not only were Harry, the Weasleys, and Kingsley waiting for me…but so were most of the rest of the Wizengamot and their families, as well as other workers from across the Ministry. The news had traveled fast…and everyone wanted to help. Therefore, I briefed them, we met up with Nick, and…well…you know the rest."

After her explanation, Clint held his wife close and counted his blessings. He was so grateful that they had both made it back from Sokovia and that they could now achieve some closure with the Malfoy situation. He also knew that they were very lucky to have so many friends, both magical and not, that were there for them when it really counted.

He also realized that his hopes for a quiet retirement were probably not going to happen…at least not for a while. Even though he still intended to step back from full-time Avenging (despite the fact that they both knew that he would always make himself available when he was really needed), he also knew that he would go with Nat when she inevitably went to look for Bruce. Plus, there was a young woman upstairs who would need both emotional support to get her through her grief, as well as training to help control her enhanced abilities. He also had the feeling that he would be involved in the wizarding world a lot more now that everyone knew that he was the Minister's husband. Rather than just visits to the Burrow and Grimmauld Place, he would probably now be obligated to attend political events, balls, etc… at least until Hermione's term ended...and then they could start to build their own little family.

Therefore, his quiet retirement was probably going to be anything but peaceful. However, he could worry about all of that later. First, he had a promise to keep to his wife…and a sunroom floor to finish.


End file.
